EDDY Family of Cornwall

Possible baptism entries in St Just for William are: (a) William EDY, son of Matthew EDY & Jone, baptised 23 Aug 1701 (b) William EDY, son of William EDY, baptised 29 Mar 1707 (c) William EDY, son of William EDY & Elizabeth, baptised 6 Aug 1710

Of these, (a) seems unlikely as neither Matthew nor Jone are names that are found in subsequent generations.

Geoff McKee has baptisms (b) and (c) both to the same couple, William EDY (note one 'D') and Elizabeth WERREN nee BOTRELL. I believe this conclusion has been drawn due to a burial record for a William EDY (again, with one 'D', adding a little weight to the argument that it is for this William) on 28 Mar 1710 in St Just. This may well be correct, but other burials at that time that were for children tended to state 'son/dau of' followed by the parent. This burial does not list this, and so I had previously regarded it as a burial for an adult William EDY/EDDY. However, William and Elizabeth married on 7 Jun 1706 in St Just in Penwith, and I would have expected them to have had a child soon after marriage, typically named after William or Elizabeth.

If baptisms (b) and (c) had belonged to different families, I would have expected to find 2 marriages. However, I searched between 1727 (when the younger William would have been at earliest marrying age) and 1750 and could find only one appropriate marriage (to Bridget BAYNARD). I thought I had found some alternatives in the following, but Geoff notes that these William EDDYs were all from Zennor: (A) William EDDY & Mary RODDA, 30 Apr 1735, Gulval (B) William EDDY & Katherine SAMPSON, 02 Nov 1738, Madron (C) William EDDY & Triphena OSBORNE, 22 Apr 1749, Zennor (D) William EDDY & Mary STEVENS, 30 Apr 1750, Zennor

Also, (further info from Geoff McKee), Elizabeth's brother's (Thomas BOTTRELL) Will in 1741 states his sister as Elizabeth EDEY widow, so her husband must have died before then. The burial mentioned above on 28 Mar 1710 is a remote possibility, but the most appropriate burial entry is for William EDDY senior on 17 Jul 1735 in St Just in Penwith. The fact that he is recorded as 'senior' suggests he had a son William who was still living, and probably in the same parish.

So, based on this information I agree with Geoff's conclusions and have put baptisms (b) and (c) to William EDY and Elizabeth. I believe that this William was baptism (c), William EDY, son of William EDY & Elizabeth, baptised 6 Aug 1710 which would have made William very similarly aged to his wife, Bridget.